Joey's Blog

Is Crime Increasing in the GTA?

2007-05-05T11:44:37Z

Surprisingly when you hear about the crimes committed in the news you automatically begin to presume that crime is increasing. But if you look at the average of criminal activity reported by Toronto police in the last 30 years you will see that actually murders and other serious crimes are not increasing. Yes, some neighbourhoods are having increases in serious crimes but overall there hasn’t been any increase.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Specializing in Residential and Investment Real Estate
Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc., Brokerage
Office: (905)-858-3434 ext. 1186
Direct: (416) 918-2912
or visit: http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Don’t Increase Toronto Property Taxes

2007-05-05T11:43:50Z

Property Taxes in Toronto are already one of the highest in Ontario, yet because of budget deficits the cash strapped city is thinking of taxing property owners. There are other ways the city can raise revenue.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

New Home Prices in the GTA

2007-05-05T11:39:53Z

New Home constructions have dipped in the past few months and new home prices have risen over 8% over last year, far more then the 4% increase in resale home prices. New home prices in Mississauga especially by many are being considered too high, but because of less supply there is sufficient demand.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

April was the highest sale month.

2007-05-05T11:37:04Z

April 30^th was the best single sales day and April was the best single month ever. April 30^th had over 581 sales and April had 9,452 according to the Toronto Real Estate Board. Average sales prices were up 3% from last April’s. The real estate Market is still very strong in the GTA!

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Neutral colours are the Best

2007-04-18T02:47:15Z

Neutral and light colours are the best when it comes to selling homes and condos. They make the room look brighter, more spacious and make it easier for buyers to picture their belongings in the room. I recommend to my sellers and anyone that is getting ready to sell their home that they invest in a couple of hundred dollars and paint some of their rooms with neutral colours.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Why you need to be weary of some As-is sales?

2007-04-18T02:42:14Z

Like the word as-is sounds an as-is sale is when the seller is offering their property as-is without any guarantees or warranties. If there is some problems with the property the seller will not be responsible. All responsibilities lies with the Buyer and the buyer before the completion of the sale should make sure if they investment is worth it. Almost all foreclosures, tax or auction sales in Ontario are as-is sales. You need to have a good home inspector and other professionals with insurance review your property and give it a good bill.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Negotiation in Real Estate

2007-04-18T02:33:51Z

Real Estate like any commodity is negotiable. The best real estate agents are excellent negotiators. They work with the other party and not against them, they set objectives and meet them, and they follow throw on them. Good negotiators look for a win-win situation for both parties, and protect their clients at all expense.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Affordable Rental Properties in Mississauga

2007-04-18T02:25:12Z

Mississauga has seen tremendous growth in the last 25 years, in this time it has risen to be Canada's 7th Largest City. The safest city in North America over 500,000 in pop. One of the highest median incomes and educated workforce in Canada. But like most major cities it is facing issues with affordable housing. The most affordable rental units can be found in basement apartments that on average are 25-30% less than condo rents. The city should construct housing that is affordable, many people go elsewhere because they cannot find affordable apartment.

http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/mississauga

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

The Importance of the Internet

2007-04-15T11:49:57Z

The internet is the most important and powerful marketing medium. And in an industry like real estate where consumers want more information, the easiest and most convenient way for them to receive the information is through the internet. To get ahead you need to distinguish yourself from the competition...if not you can lose out--BIG.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Discount Brokerage Are they here for Certain

2007-04-13T09:50:12Z

Discount brokerages in the GTA account for 5% of the GTA real estate market share. Many companies each year enter as discount brokerages but fail within the first 3 years. Why do they fail? Generally discount brokerages, can’t survive because of financial and revenue limitations. As well, when the market loses heat they can not compete with a full brokerage. Yes commission is lowering, it is a trend. In the early 1900’s real estate commission used to be 10%, last decade it was 6% and now it is 5% on average. But remember when an agent is offering to list your home for less there must be something he/she is cutting in order to offer such a service. Most discount brokerages I believe can not survive in the long run there are some that are thriving but generally the real estate business is already really competitive.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

More million dollar homes in the GTA than ever!

2007-04-10T00:55:09Z

If you read the recent article in The Star:

http://www.thestar.com/Athome/article/199728

There are more million dollar homes in the GTA and more importantly in all kinds of neighbourhoods. The GTA is Ontario's wealth core with more millionaires in the GTA then the rest of Canada combined.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Best Places to invest in Canada

2007-04-08T15:21:03Z

The best places to invest in Canada according to a marketing survey is as follows: Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto (including the GTA), Vancouver, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Interest rate expected to Fall

2007-04-08T15:17:55Z

Current Interest rates is low but it is expected to fall further. There are more jobs in Canada than ever before, inflation is expected to creep higher a little and it is expected that the Bank of Canada will cut interest rates in the next few months.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Low-ball Offers

2007-04-08T15:12:43Z

We have all seen them they are low too low. Generally what is considered a low-ball offer is 10% or lower of the asking price. The buyers know that the best offer in terms of price and condition will be accepted, why do they continue to offer so ridiculously low offers? The answer is sometimes the buyer is willing to go much higher but they believe they can dupe the seller and seller's agent into accepting a very low offer. The end result is their offer is out-right rejected or is countered with the buyer then accepting or countering back more reasonably. The other case is that the buyer can not afford market value and is trying to get something for far less the market-value. In both circumstances I have never been in a situation where a low-ball offer was accepted.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Toronto Should not increase property Tax

2007-04-08T15:00:27Z

The city should get a share of the GST and a share from the Province. It is the largest city and the most famous city of Canada. Raising property taxes is not good for the real estate industry, but more important to housing affordability. It is already considered after Vancouver the most expensive city in terms of real estate. Keeping Toronto affordable is the most important real estate issue facing the GTA.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Why I love Blogging?

2007-04-08T14:54:57Z

I love blogging because it helps me meet many people from different places, makes me feel as if I am a part of a larger society. It also helps me vent my ideas and even frustrations. Blogging is F U N

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

What Does Canada Mean?

2007-04-08T14:50:01Z

Canada is the most land rich country in the Americas. What does the word Canada mean? The origins of the word Canada come from the Natives referring to their settlements as Kanata and Jacques Cartier while sailing up the St. Lawrence noticed that and named it on his writings in 1536 and on 1867 it was decided to name the nation Canada.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

The Number 1 Reason Why Your Home Didn’t Sell was High Asking Price

2007-04-07T09:59:08Z

If your home is too overpriced then you have already killed the sale. I remember a year ago there was a nice 4 Bed house on the market for $469,900 which was really overpriced, I mean really-really overpriced (by $60,000+), it was on the market for 4 months and then pulled off. 3 months ago, the seller called me and said he wanted to sell his house and for $460,000. I told him that I need to take a look at the house but by simply knowing the market that this asking price is not going to get showings and more importantly any offers. I told him that over the phone. But we still decided to get together (maybe I could convince him). So after doing my listing presentation, I told him that he should list for $420,000. He was outraged, according to him, he had other agents look at the house and they all agreed that it should be listed for $460,000. So a few days later I saw the home on the market for $459,900, a few more weeks later for $450,000 and after 2+ months (now) for $444,000 and the house is still not sold.

Let me just say 2 things about this:

Ridiculously High asking Price Kills the Sale

Agents that list the home to please the Seller—are Accessories to Murder!-You have helped killed the Sale.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Frequently Asked Questions

2007-04-05T00:02:12Z

I have compiled a list of frequently asked questions and as a service to the consumers, if you have any questions about GTA real estate that you cannot find on the page, please email me so I can add to the current list of FAQs and answer your question.

http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/faqs.php

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

What happens after I receive an Offer?

2007-04-04T23:58:35Z

Most first time sellers wonder:

What Happens after they receive an Offer...

After they receive an offer they can accept, counter the offer or outright reject.

http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/what-happens-after-I-receive-an-offer

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

How Lender's Qualify You?

2007-04-04T23:51:50Z

I have attached a link that will help you understand how lender's qualify an applicant for financing see:

http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/how-lenders-qualify-toronto

Generally lenders qualify you buy your ability to pay the loan and your willingness to repay the loan. Ability can be summed up by income minus monthly costs. And willingness can be examined by past credit history

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

ACTIVE-RAIN---what a great idea!

2007-04-04T23:28:36Z

Active-Rain is just great. It is excellent resource for the public, has thousands of pages of information and is growing exponentially. And it allows REALTORS to meet and write what's on their minds and information they would like to share with others. All this done easily---blogging made easy.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Spring is Here

2007-04-04T23:24:26Z

Have you noticed that right after Spring Cleaning (in early spring) their are more homes in the market and homes sold in the market. It is also the time when the lawn looks the best and flowers begin to bloom. If you do spring cleaning your home is the cleanest it is all year, your lawn looks the best all year an on top of that the weather is ideal. List and Sell your Home in the Spring

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

What is Commercial Real Estate?

2007-04-03T23:35:37Z

The term commercial real estate includes businesses including or not including business property, industrial property, plazas, hotels, malls, etc. Commercial Real Estate is generally for profit, either from capital gain or rental income or business income or a combination of the three.

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434

Return on Investment (ROI)

2007-04-03T23:24:10Z

Return on Investment (ROI) according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry visit for more information: http://www.toronto-homes-guide.com/return-on-investment-in-upgrades-remodelling

Joey Khan, GREATER TORONTO AREA (GTA) REALTOR®

Or Toll Free 1-800-263-3434